FL Firefighters Assist in Killer Whale Rescue
By Devin Rodriguez
Source Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Aug. 30 -- CLEARWATER, FL -- Firefighters and aquarium workers rescued two pygmy killer whales that were found stranded Wednesday on Sand Key, according to Clearwater Fire & Rescue.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium workers called the fire department for help with the whales at about 10 a.m. Rescue crews carried the whales to a truck that took them to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Sarasota for treatment.
It was unclear when, or if, the whales would be released back into the gulf. Their medical conditions were not released Wednesday.
At first, rescuers thought the stranded mammals were melon-headed whales. But officials later clarified that, identifying them as pygmy killer whales — which, in fact, are not whales at all.
They are actually rare oceanic dolphins.
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